Page 19 of Moonlit Colorado

It was Piper. I looked back to meet her gaze. “No, I’m not. This guy is—” When I turned to face him again, all I saw was his broad back walking away.

“Was he bothering you?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“You look way too pale. What’s going on?” Piper took me by the wrist and pulled me over to a padded bench by the wall. “Sit. Tell me what happened.”

“I’m not sure where to start.” But I was pretty certain Ms. Scarlet had been escaping more than just a bad date tonight.

“Sweetie, you’re shivering. Do you want to head home? Hanson said he’s okay with leaving whenever.”

I had that keycard in my purse. An incredibly sexy man was waiting for me in his suite upstairs. A man I’d been about to spend the night with, even though I knew almost nothing about him.

What the hell had I been thinking?

“Yeah, I’m ready to go home.” I just wanted to put this entire strange night behind me.

This wasn’t some fantasy. This was real life. With real danger and consequences.

I knew far too much about both already.

SIX

Dane

I woketo a bucket of melted ice, an unopened champagne bottle, and a very lonely bed.

“Fuck,” I said, staring at the ceiling.

That hadn’t been a bad dream. Ms. Red hadn’t shown. She’d ghosted me. Dashed off like Cinderella about to turn into a pumpkin.

I was sprawled on the mattress, shirtless but still wearing my tuxedo pants for some reason. Maybe because I’d stayed up until the wee hours, sipping mini-bar whiskey and hoping my girl might show, before I finally gave up and passed out. Now I had a mild hangover to show for it.

One-night stands weren’t a typical thing for me. I liked taking my time to get to know someone. But I’d never met anyone that sparked my interest the way she did, and I’d really wanted to spend more time with her. To show her a great time. I wouldn’t have minded if one night turned into several, at least for as long as I stayed in Silver Ridge.

I liked her. Simple as that.

Maybe I should’ve expected this. She’d been skittish. But what exactly had gone wrong? Had she simply gotten cold feet? Was it something I did?

I’d even called down to the front desk to see if she’d left a message for me, or if anything strange had happened. Such as an alien abduction of the gorgeous woman in the red dress and elaborate mask.Nothing.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I threw a pillow at it. If it was Kip hoping for a report on his VIP guests, he was shit out of luck.

I padded out to the kitchen, where I stuck the champagne in the fridge and downed some pain relievers for my headache along with a bottle of water. After a shower and a shave, I figured I should check my messages. My mood lifted when I saw Ashford had written.

Ashford

Back from Hartley. How was the party?

Me

I’m hungover.

The good kind or the shitty kind?

The latter. A pretty girl ditched me.

My condolences. Bright sunlight and the loud screams of children will fix you right up. Fall festival in the square today. Want to join us?

---